Will this Oak be ready in 7 months?

[Tlgrant]

So a landscape friend dropped off some free wood the other day it’s all red oak however it’s not fresh cut or seasoned- it’s somewhere in between ?. It was in a customers yard on the ground in 6-8 ft logs all under 12” sections for a year maybe 2? I’ve been splitting it and it’s reading 20-25%


So my question is do you think it will be good for this coming winter? I’d hate to stack it all in my small wood shed and run out of space if I can’t use it next winter. Thanks.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

That’s a firm maybe. If your woodshed gets lots of air and sun, and you’re measuring the moisture correctly you could be ok! There only 1 way to find out!

 

[Dieselhead]

It’s anyone’s guess. Splitting small may help your chances.

 

[qwee]

I've had one experience with oak. I live in a mountain desert environment. Firewood here gets down to less than 10% (even dead standing) no problem. I obtained about 3/4 cord of fresh cut tree service red oak. I split it small and stacked it by a fence (so not very good air circulation). After 2 years it was surely dry?

I took out a big piece from the center of the pile and split it - moisture meter read 21.5% moisture content. I was surprised. If I was you, I would stack it somewhere out of the way, cover it, and forget about it for a few years (at least). Don't rush it - oak dries on its own terms.

 

[Turbo89]

I split some oak last fall, which had been laying in log form for about 2-1/2 yrs. It was stacked along my fence, in the sun with a nice cross breeze. I measured a few pieces last week, looking for some over nighters and most were 24-27% moisture, I did find a couple around 20%.

So maybe, but unless you get a heck of a breeze, and sun and split them small I wouldn’t bank on it.

 

[hickoryhoarder]

Short splits and short logs that sat around for a while says maybe. It would not surprise me if it's pretty good or good. I wouldn't expect it to be great.

If it can be stacked in direct sun and get a lot of breeze that will increase the chances.

I wouldn't rely on it entirely, especially if you have better seasoned stuff around.

Here's an example of a stack that might get those short splits ready in time. This stack gets direct sun from 10 a.m. to 4 pm.